S trategic P lan 2015-2020
Notre Dameâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2010-2015 strategic plan focused on tactical
initiatives that would strengthen the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s governance and
financial position, while developing distinctive program. Mission
accomplished! Over those five years, Notre Dameâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Board of
Directors grew in number and influence and have made provisions
for a board-designated endowment of seven million dollars. That
endowment, along with a perpetual endowment of $1,850,000,
assure the ongoing stability of the school. The strong organizational
business operations of the school, as affirmed in the annual audit,
have allowed for substantial program growth that includes an
integrated theme of education for justice and leadership that
weaves mission into every class and activity.
The building of the 2015-2020 strategic plan took on a completely
different and fresh focus. With strong operations and distinctive
mission-aligned programs in place, the steering committee and
various task forces were free to brainstorm about where Notre
Dame San Jose would set its sights for the next five years.
These five strategic initiatives will serve as the guideposts for day-today operations, programs, facilities and resource development. Two
of the initiatives, Environment of Innovation and Catholic in the 21st
Century, serve in a critical thematic role, threading across the three
additional initiatives.
1. Environment of Innovation
Cultivate innovation throughout our institution in order to exemplify
a collaborative, experiential and transformative learning community.
2. Catholic in the 21st Century
Witness joyfully and prophetically to the Gospel and our Catholic
faith by listening contemplatively, praying boldly, and acting justly to
reveal the face of the good Jesus in our fragmented world.
3. Leaders of Tomorrow
Develop dynamic women leaders who are agents of positive change
in their local and global communities.
4. Career & Life Success
Empower young women to identify and nurture their individual
gifts and talents as they explore opportunities for future career and
life success.
5. Lifelong Network
Create a global network that supports the life-long growth of each
Notre Dame woman.

Principal’s Message
I had a very engaging conversation with a new faculty
member recently who assured me that it was not an
effort to win favor when he said, “I have worked at
three different high schools and this school is incredibly
organized, the most organized school that I have
experienced.” I asked for some examples of how Notre
Dame benchmarked against the other high schools.
This teacher noted that almost all schools use language
around teaching the whole student and creating crosscurricular function. “But Notre Dame actually does
it - robotics is as important as athletics, as is speech
and debate, as is performing arts. And teachers reach
across disciplines and grade levels to integrate thinking,
learning and projects.” It is always good to hear from
new faculty that they experience our mission in real
time.
This is a community committed to shaping young
women to be life-long learners, spiritual seekers, justice
advocates and community leaders. And those words that
punctuate our graduation outcomes roll off our tongues
with ease because we educate with intention towards
them. Last year, the faculty and staff took another
collective step forward to implement our 2015-2020
strategic plan. All of our programs developed 3-5

year plans that align with the vision. Here are two of
my favorite themes found across those plans: projects
that integrate social justice concerns and Catholic social
teaching and a focus on creating innovative spaces
for learning. I see these themes already coming to life
in a geometry project that will design ‘tiny houses’
that address issues of housing affordability and use of
resources in communities, the new online Mandarin
class that gives students access to language and
culture, the integration of maker spaces in classrooms
to promote creativity and problem-solving, and even in
creating a virtual space for our alumnae to network with
one another!
It’s infectious to be part of a learning community with
innovative and engaged learners that include our
students, faculty and staff, parents, alumnae and board
members. Together, we live out a mutual commitment
to integrate at every level, in every relationship, and
in every organizing structure that bolsters the good
work done at Notre Dame. Our new faculty member
recognized this, and that is what makes it different here.
I hope you enjoy this edition of Notre Notes and look
forward to partnering with you in our vision of a Notre
Dame education!
Ora et labora,

Mary Beth Riley

On the Cover....

Accompanied by chaperones Deidre Savino and Elizabeth Milanovich, students spent several days recently exploring the central coast to gain an understanding of the fragile ecosystem that connects the farmlands, wetlands and ocean. They also learned how overuse or abuse in one area has negative effects on another. “The connection is interesting - the life in the ocean is really impacted by what happens in the sloughs,” explains Audrey
Cox ’19. “The farms impact the water in the sloughs, which goes to the ocean and impacts the fish in the ocean
- which we then eat. Everyone should care, because everyone is affected!” This central coast plunge immersion
is one of several offered at Notre Dame.
Notre Dame supports global
citizenship through cultural
and justice immersion
trips to Latin
America, Europe,
Asia, Africa and
within the United
States.

14

cultural
and justice
immersion
trips

138

students and faculty
participated in cultural
and justice immersion
trips last year
FALL 2016

3

Sharing a Special Sisterhood With Notre Dame Seishin
In an increasingly globalized society, understanding different
cultures and the history, economic and political issues affecting
people around the world is more important than ever. To
provide a unique lens through which to view different societies
as well as experiential learning opportunities, Notre Dame offers
14 immersion trips for students including a biennial opportunity
to visit our sister school in Japan, Notre Dame Seishin.
Sponsored by the sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, Notre Dame
Seishin Junior & Senior High School was founded in the city of
Okayama, Japan in 1886. The school was moved to its current
location in Kurashiki, a historical city in the southern Okayama
Prefecture, in 1969. It is one of 130 in a network that spans five
continents and fifteen countries and provides our students with
an opportunity to share a unique sisterhood through a Catholic,
Notre Dame education.
Students and chaperones stay with host families throughout
their visit and attend classes which, during this visit, included
music and archery. The Notre Dame Seishin students also
learned something new as they experienced a Spanish lesson
presented by Stephany Amezcua ‘16 and Bayard Nielson,
Spanish teacher and chair of Notre Dame’s Modern Language
Department.
When not in class, the group visited local cultural landmarks,
were treated to a traditional Japanese tea ceremony and had
the honor of meeting the mayor of Okayama, whom they
presented with a painting of the Notre Dame crest created by
Amanda Huynh ’18 and signed by the group.
“I had such a wonderful time in Japan and if I was offered the
opportunity to go again, I would take it in a heartbeat,” shared
Adeline Ho ’17. “My favorite part about this trip was spending
time with my host family and really getting to know one another.
It was just like having an extension of my own family in a
different place. They always made me feel so welcomed and so
loved. I never felt like I was the
odd one out. The girls at Seishin
and the girls at Notre Dame
San Jose are both so driven and
passionate about what they do!
Japan has a lot of lessons to ‘teach one about what they need to know for life’ and
the most important lesson I probably learned from this experience is to have a lot of
kindness and respect for those around you and to cherish every moment you have
with them. My love for Japan and its people is endless!”
We look forward to welcoming a group of 14 students and chaperones from Notre
Dame Seishin to our San Jose campus in March!

Notre Dame Board of Directors Welcomes New Members
Malcolm Bordelon (Emily ’13) was named publisher of the Silicon Valley Business
Journal in January 2015. In this role, he manages all operations for the SVBJ including
editorial, advertising and corporate partnerships, audience development, marketing,
events, production and finance. Prior to being named publisher, Bordelon was with
Sharks Sports & Entertainment (SSE) and the San Jose Sharks for 20 years, serving for
17 of those years as executive vice president of business operations. He also oversaw
business operations for the Worcester Sharks, the club’s American Hockey League
affiliate. As a member of senior management, he was involved in review and pursuit of
new business opportunities for SSE.

Lorne Rundquist (Allison ’16) is the chief financial officer of Rosendin Electric, Inc.,
where he has worked since 1988. He has participated in the growth of the company,
helping it become the largest privately owned electrical contractor in the United States.
Prior to that he spent six years in public accounting and continues to maintain his active
status as a certified public accountant. He graduated from California Polytechnic State
University, San Luis Obispo, where he received his degree in business. He has been a
resident of San Jose since 1966 with the exception of his college years and his time spent
working in public accounting.

Nicola Tan ’03 is a graduate of Notre Dame, where she was actively involved in sports
teams and student council and fondly remembers climbing to the stairs to her locker
on the third floor of the old administration building. Currently, she works as a product
manager at Intel in Santa Clara, focused on machine learning and artificial intelligence
platforms. She has a BS in mechanical engineering from MIT, and returned to MIT for an
MS in mechanical engineering and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management
as part of the Leaders for Global Operations program. Previously, she worked at Hewlett
Packard and Amazon in various engineering and operations functions.

Notre Dame High School’s
Board of Directors is comprised
of 19 individuals and includes
professionals from the financial
and legal industries, high tech
executives, engineers and nonprofit management professionals.

Notre Dame
alumnae

9 12

parents of
alumnae
or current
students

women

&

7

men

FALL 2016

5

Welcome Monica Gomez ’90, Alumnae Relations Associate!
As a Notre Dame alumna, Monica Gomez feels right
back at home working in the school where she felt
inspired, motivated and determined to thrive. “I have
come back full circle and look forward to building our
network of alumnae so they, too, are a part of our
vision and can help strengthen our legacy,” shared
Monica. “Walking through the halls brings back so
many great memories for me and I am proud to be a
part of the ND community.”
Monica has more than 20 years public relations,
community relations, and media relations experience
in the nonprofit sector, education and corporate
environment. Monica is from San Jose where she lives
with her husband and three children: Malyna (11),
Isela and Michael Damian (8).
To learn about opportunities to engage with the
Notre Dame community and support the Notre Dame
mission, contact Monica at 408.294.1113 ext. 2153 or
via email at mgomez@ndsj.org.

EverTrue - Connecting Alumnae Across the Globe
Notre Dame’s philosophy and programs encourage our young
women to take the knowledge, compassion, confidence and
adventurous spirit cultivated on campus out into the world, which is
what they do! With thousands of alumnae living around the globe,
it can be difficult to keep in touch, with Notre Dame and with each
other, but we are determined to find new ways to build a global network that
supports the life-growth of each of our Notre Dame women. To that end, we
are pleased to provide our alumnae with a handy new phone app, EverTrue,
that will help them find and connect with one another. So that, as an alumna,
whether you find yourself in a new city looking for the best pizza joint (not
every city has Pizza My Heart!) or hoping to network in your job search, you
can easily connect with the Notre Dame sisters that can help you. EverTrue
is available for both iPhones and android phones, is completely secure, and
connects with LinkedIn and Facebook as well.
The EverTrue app also allows Notre Dame alumnae to connect and
network with one another using LinkedIn. After downloading the app,
you will be given the choice to connect via LinkedIn or through an email
address. We encourage our alumnae to log in through an existing
LinkedIn account so that connections will be visible in the app. Anything
marked private in LinkedIn remains private in the app.

Preserving Alumnae Composite Photos
Notre Dame alumnae share a pride in their alma mater
and are reminded of great memories when they see the
composite class pictures displayed throughout the campus.
The pictures represent a pictorial history of all the young
women who have been a part of the Notre Dame tradition.
Over the last several years, Nicola Moreno ’65, with
support from the alumnae council, has taken on the task of
preserving and repairing the composites that have begun to
age, in addition to creating new composites for the classes
that did not have one. Nicola does this volunteer work as a
way to honor Notre Dame’s history.
The school has made funding available to repair or replace
one composite annually. In addition, some classes have
supported Nicola’s efforts by donating toward the photo
restoration project. As a result, composite photos were
created for the classes of ’65, ’66 and ’74. Recently, the
class of 1974 celebrated their 40th reunion and, thanks to
the generosity of an anonymous donor, Nicola was able to
use the 1974 yearbook photos to create a class composite
for them to enjoy at the reunion. Alumnae interested in this
project are encouraged to contact Monica Gomez at
mgomez@ndsj.org.

Get Connected Alumnae!

Activate your EverTrue account today. It’s easy to
join, just follow these simple instructions:
1. Search for EverTrue in the Apple store or the
Google Play store. Once you have downloaded
the app, the EverTrue logo will appear on your
device.

Members of Notre Dame’s Class of 1974 Purple and
Lavender Pirates got together to share memories of their
time at ND and the strong bonds of sisterhood that keep
them connected.

FALL 2016

7

C

CLASS NOTES
With 22 years of
experience in local
government, Jenny

Harwood-
Haruyama ’88

became Scotts
Valley’s first female
city manager earlier this year. She’s a
founding member
of Women Leading
Government, an
organization to help
women succeed in
public service and is
active in the Municipal Management
Association of Northern California and
has been awarded
the YWCA Tribute to
Women in Industry
Award as well as the
Rising Star Award.
Jenny and her
husband have two
children.

Rose Gomes
Jensen ’02 (1)

moved from Philadelphia and started
a position as an
associate physician in
family medicine for
UC Davis’ Elk Grove

clinic. Rose and her
husband have three
children — Kristen,
Beatrice and
Graham.

Angela Dimayuga
’03 (2) earned a

2016 James Beard
Award nomination
for Rising Star Chef
of the year, one
of only six in the
country! Angela is
currently the executive chef of Mission
Chinese Food in New
York City.​She is also
a strong advocate for
work-life balance and
effective management, willing to think
creatively in her
pursuit for a better
workplace culture.
Congratulations
to Jessica Man-

ley Rojakovick
’99 (3) and her

family on the arrival of baby, Emily
(“Emmie”) Katherine
Rojakovick, born
August 17, 2016. Big
sister Lauren and big
brother Michael are

thrilled that both her
grandparents (Mike
and Cindy Manley)
and her aunt (Christine Manley Raba
‘03) live in Nashville
to enjoy her!
On December 18,
2015, Maria
Sanidad ’05 married Adrian Espinoza
at St. Catherine’s
church in Morgan
Hill, CA in front of
close friends and
family. The next day
they had a formal
ceremony with all
of their loved ones
around at Willow
Heights Mansion in
Morgan Hill. Maria
is also happy to
announce that she is
pregnant with their
first child, a boy, due
in the fall.

Ariel Navarette
’09 (4) is current-

ly working on her
bachelor’s degree
in nursing at Dominican University
of California in San
Rafael. Recently, she
embarked on her
second pilgrimage
to World Youth Day
in Krakow, Poland,
which she attended
with teens of the St.
Nicholas and St. Williams’ youth group.
The pilgrimage was
a spiritual journey
that she embarked
on with millions of
young people from
all over the world

and concluded
with Pope Francis’
life-changing words
of encouragement.

Grace Choy ’08
(5) graduated from

Cal Poly, San Luis
Obispo, with a bachelor’s in architecture
in 2013. Grace was
recently engaged
and will marry her
fiance, Jeremy, next
summer. After graduating, she made the
brave move to New
York City, where she
is able to be further
inspired for the
world of architecture
and design. In July of
2016, Grace completed the Architect
Registration Examinations, bringing her
one step closer to
becoming a licensed
architect.

Harleen Kaur ’12

received a bachelor’s
degree from Smith
College in 2016. She
majored in economics and government
and received her
degree magna cum
laude with induction
to Phi Beta Kappa.
Harleen spent the
fall semester of her
junior year studying
in Washington D.C.
while interning at the
U.S. Department of
the Treasury and her
summer of 2015 as
a summer analyst at
JPMorgan Chase &
Co. on Wall Street.

This fall she moved
to Boston to work as
a business risk consultant with Deloitte
& Touche.
In 2014, Ameera

Naguib ’12

was selected as one
of only three Santa Clara University
students to study
abroad in Jordan.
Inspired by her work
there, she returned
to become an advocate for refugees on
local soil. Ameera is
currently a research
fellowship team
leader for the Santa
Clara University Department of Political
Science. Her team is
researching the effectiveness of foreign
aid and public service
delivery in post-conflict countries.
At UC Berkeley, Izzy

Ullmann ’14 (6)

is studying peace
and conflict studies.
This summer, she
interned in Alameda
and Contra Costa
County’s district
attorney’s offices,
working with the human trafficking and
domestic violence
units. She is also
working with the
International Rescue
Committee, a refugee organization.

1

3

2

5

4
6

FALL 2016

9

Leaving a Legacy - Sue & Chuck Foltz (Katie ’12)
After Katie visited Notre Dame’s open house for prospective students in 2007, she and her mom struggled for words
to describe the experience. Chuck Foltz recalls that his daughter and wife, Sue, both said, “It’s just a feeling.” They
had recently moved to San Jose from Walnut Creek and hadn’t anticipated that Katie would actually want to attend an
all-girls school. In fact, Sue and Chuck were ready to purchase a sweatshirt for a different, co-ed school because they
never imagined that Katie would find her place at Notre Dame.
But the real surprise was that they all found a home at Notre Dame. More than just a school for their daughter, Sue
and Chuck found a community that welcomed the entire family. Katie flourished socially, academically and spiritually.
She played tennis and lacrosse, took challenging courses and made new friends. As a family, they embraced the Notre
Dame community. They became actively involved as volunteers and supporters. Sue found her place working on the
Women of Impact committee and was part of a small team who helped to organize the first event. Unsurprisingly,
when she was asked to serve as chair of the Women of Impact event, Sue didn’t hesitate. She chaired one year and
co-chaired the following year. Sue was inspired by the Women of Impact event and the opportunity to celebrate
a woman’s place in history in a way that also supports future women of impact including her own daughter, Katie.
Chairing the event allowed Sue to share the mission of Notre Dame with the broader community while giving back to
the school that had welcomed her family and
made them feel at home.
After Katie graduated in 2012 they remained
involved and when their family moved to Nevada
in 2015, Sue and Chuck didn’t want to leave
Notre Dame behind. They wanted to find a way
to continue their support. While they were no
longer close enough to volunteer regularly, they
wanted to continue to make a difference at Notre
Dame. With two children in college and facing
retirement, Sue and Chuck thought it was time to
update their estate plans and decided to include
Notre Dame High School in their estate plan by
making a legacy gift in their will.
In doing so, the Foltz family became part of Notre
Dame’s history as members of the 1851 Society,
named in honor of the Sisters of Notre Dame
de Namur who founded Notre Dame San Jose
in 1851. The 1851 Society recognizes, honors
and pays tribute to all donors who include
Notre Dame San Jose in their estate plans.
Upon enrollment in the society, members are
recognized in the annual report and remembered
during their lifetime and beyond in the prayers of
our faculty and students at Notre Dame’s Advent
Liturgy. All donors who include Notre Dame San
Jose in their estate plans, regardless of the size
of the gift, are eligible for enrollment in the 1851
Society.

To enroll, contact your estate planning professional to
include Notre Dame San Jose as a beneficiary in your estate
plans. Then be sure to inform Notre Dame by contacting
Leah Schnoor, executive director of advancement at
lschnoor@ndsj.org or 408-294-1113 x2181.

Welcoming Daughters of Alumnae to the Class of 2020!
For 165 years, Notre Dame in San Jose has graduated remarkable young women who have gone on to make their
mark on the world in myriad ways. These women are all part of a strong Notre Dame family, a sisterhood that spans
generations. In the case of these five alumnae, the family bond is even stronger! As their daughters begin high school,
here’s a little about what their moms have been up to!
After graduation, Natalie Archuleta ’93 Wise attended Foothill College before transferring to San Jose State. She is
a busy mom of four (Jacob (18), Olivia (15), Shaelyn (11) and Bella (22 months). Most of her career has been spent as an
HR generalist with the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Clara. She made an industry switch four years ago and is
now at KNTV - NBC Bay Area where she is continuing her career in human resources.

Maria Danen ’90 Moore works part-time as a design associate at Calico in the San Jose store, where she helps
customers design the home interior they dream of. When she’s not at work, you can typically find her ‘ubering’ her son
Ryan, who is a sophomore at Bellarmine, and Victoria around!

Bridget O’Brien ’93 Reyes lives in Santa Clara with her husband, 2 daughters (Fiona, Maura), and a mini-farm of
animals including chickens, guinea pigs and a dog. She works at NetApp Inc. as a program manager supporting both the
globalization and information engineering teams. Her family loves spending weekends traveling around California and
vacationing in Yelapa, Mexico, where her husband was born.
Since graduating from Notre Dame, Sonya Navarro ’85 Licea has been working in accounting at the same company
for 26 years, a job she loves! In addition to being the proud mom of a freshman at Notre Dame, Sonya and her husband
of 15 years have an 11-year-old son at St. John Vianney School.
After graduating from Notre Dame, Mona Faraj ’91 Boomer earned a bachelor’s degree from Santa Clara University.
She has enjoyed a long career in banking and finance and is the proud mom of Ashley and her three brothers, Aidan,
Anthony and Ace!
FALL 2016

11

NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATION
596 S. Second St.
San Jose, CA 95112
Address service requested

US POSTAGE PAID
SAN JOSE, CA PERMIT
NO. 499

SAVE THE DATES!
14th Annual

CRAB FEST

Saturday, February 4th, 6:00pm
Join us for raffles, friendship and the best crab
dinner in the area! Tickets go on sale on our
website December 1st.
Proceeds benefit co-curricular activities and the
athletic program at Notre Dame High School.